Sam Tyler
Detective (Chief) Inspector Sam Tyler was a high ranking detective of the Greater Manchester Police in 2006. After being hit by a car and falling into a coma, Tyler woke up in 1973 working as a Detective Inspector under DCI Gene Hunt. In 1980, he transferred with his colleagues to the Fenchurch East division of the Metropolitan Police. In the same year, he died according to DS Ray Carling. Biography Early Life ).]] Sam "Sammy" Tyler was born in 1969 to salesman Vic and housewife Ruth Tyler in Manchester. As a very young child he aspired to become a police officer which he would eventually fulfill. While growing up in 1970s Manchester as an only child, Sam became a Manchester United supporter and often attended the local football matches with his father (''Series 1: Episode 5''). He was also read to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Caroll by his father. When his father worked away, he often gave young Sam a present as compensation for his absence (''Series 1: Episode 8''). When he was young, his favourite dessert was treacle tart and custard with the skin on according to his mother (''Series 1: Episode 4''). Separation from his father In 1973 during a family wedding reception which the Tyler family attended, Sam witnessed his father walk out on the family and the reception. Unaware of his actions, he decided to follow into the nearby forest to search for him. In the forest, he witnessed his father assault a woman in a red dress and flee shortly after. When he returned to the party, his mother told him that his father had gone away unintentionally and that he loved them. She also told young Sam that she would see him again one day. Sam would not see him again for another 33 years. (''Series 1: Episode 8'') Late 20th Century Sam was forced to grow up without a fatherly figure in his life. In 1979 at the age of 10, he bought his first album at the Vinyl Heaven Record Shop which was 'Cars' by Gary Numan (''Series 1: Episode 1''). At the age of 19, Tyler joined the Greater Manchester Police (which was originally the Manchester and Salford Police until 1974). 21st Century By the 21st Century, Tyler (who was a Detective Inspector at this point in time) had been working with Deputy Chief Constable Glen Fletcher who became his commanding officer and mentor. Fletcher was a fatherly figure to him whom he respected him a great deal. Eventually was promoted to Dectetive Chief Inspector by Fletcher. In the year 2006 as a DCI, Tyler arrested former casino owner Tony Crane for the murder of his wife. Life before the accident Sam Tyler is a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) in the 2006 Greater Manchester Police Service. He was born in 1969 and is the son of Vic and Ruth Tyler. He joined the force at the age of 19 in 1988. He was also in a committed relationship with his girlfriend Maya Roy. Life in 1973 After being hit by a car, Sam wakes to find himself in 1973 - only four years after his birth. Unsure whether he is in a coma or mad, or if he has actually gone back in time, he finds he is a DI in the contemporary police force of the age, starting his first day in the same station he worked at in 2006 only 33 years in the past, and is compelled to prove himself to his new DCI, Gene Hunt. Believing that he must make an absolute commitment to return to the 21st century, he goes to the police headquarters' rooftop edge with the intention of committing suicide of a sort, in order to terminate his 1973 fantasy life. WPC Annie Cartwright convinces him not to jump. Gene is a man who likes to throw his weight around and thinks of himself as the sheriff in a western. Gene acts first and thinks later, and this results in several punch-ups between him and Sam, who believes in by-the-book policing. Over time their differences complement each other rather than clash, and a series of cases are solved when the two men put their heads together. But Sam, a 21st century police officer, has to deal with a strange world full of cigarette-smoking, gum-chewing, sometimes corrupt, unreconstructed police officers of the early 1970s, as well as brutal punch-now-think-later policing methods and crude forensic techniques, and there are times when he is deeply stressed by this, as well as by recurring hints that reality is not what it seems. In "Episode 4" and "Episode 8", Sam meets the younger versions of his mother and father as well as the parents of his girlfriend Maya, in "Series 2: Episode 6". Twice, in "Episode 5" and "Episode 8", he actually meets his 4 year old self to which he is horrified. In "Episode 8", Sam tries to get his father to stay with his mother and his younger self hoping this will take him back to 2006 but is horrified to discover his father is actually a ruthless gangster. In "Episode 4", he also has brought down much of the corruption in CID by convincing Gene and the other officers not to take bribes from a local gangster Stephen Warren and also turning in a corrupt high ranking officer in "Series 2: Episode 2". Sam deals with many different crimes including drug trafficking, a hostage situation, murders and robberies. He does not just teach a lot to CID like tape recording but learns something from them. Fate In the last episode, the voice of his surgeon appears as a new character, acting DCI, Frank Morgan, who tells Sam that he has amnesia brought on by a car accident and has really been sent from Hyde to infiltrate the rotten A Division. As Gene, Annie, Ray and Chris face a seemingly unavoidable fate when an undercover sting goes wrong, Sam comes out of his coma in the present. However, finding that what seems to be the real world no longer feels realistic, he commits suicide (see below) by jumping from the roof of the police station, and re-appears in 1973 where he is able to save Gene and the team. Sam Tyler turns off the radio when he next receives a communication from 2006 ("It's no good, he's slipping away from us") implying that he has chosen his fate - to stay in 1973 as his afterlife. According to Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham, the series creators, Sam commits suicide when he jumps, this is mentioned in the documentary "The End Of Life On Mars" which can be found on disc 4 of the series two DVD set. In an interview with the Manchester Evening News called "Life On Mars: The Answers" Matthew Graham even goes as far as to say that that Sam is now in the afterlife, where time lasts an eternity compared to the few seconds of the suicide jump: "The truth is, when I wrote it, what I was trying to say is that he's died, and that for however long that last second of life is going to be, it will stretch out for an age, as an eternity for him. And so when he drives off in that car, he's really driving off into the afterlife."1 This is confirmed in Ashes to Ashes, where police psychologist DI Alex Drake has been studying Sam's case and suicide. It is also revealed in Episode 1 of Ashes to Ashes, that in Gene Hunt's world, Sam lived another seven years and was a faithful member of the team. Sam "died" in 1980 during a high-speed pursuit. His car ends up in the river, but his body is never found. Characteristics Appearance In 2006 Sam wears a dark blue suit briefly in the first episode and when he returns in the last episode. For most of the series whilst he is in 1973 he wears a slightly battered black leather coat with jeans or plain trousers and some boots. His shirts vary from time to time and as the series progress his sideburns are considerably lengthened. This is also seen when Sam awakes from his coma. Personality Sam is a professional self sufficient officer with morals who would never become corrupt. An example of this is in "Episode 4", where he discovers the entire CID are being bribed and tries his hardest to turn them around. He is also very strict, liking to do everything by the book and can be very short tempered with people, although this may just be due to the stressful situation he is in. Sam can also be relaxed, however this side of him is rarely seen as he is usually under constant stress. Sam often pushes others away from him and usually only Annie Cartwright or Nelson can get him to open up. Relationships Sam's main relationship in the show is with Annie Cartwright who often helps him when he is under much pressure. He falls in love with her, and in "Episode 8" saves her from being killed by his dad in 1973. When he finally arrives in 2006, in Series 2: Episode 8", he is tormented by the broken promise he made to her when he went to get help, making him end up back in 2006. He eventually commits suicide and ends back up in 1973, saving her and the others. At the end of the show, the two kiss and presumably enter a relationship. The other officers in CID have mixed opinions, Chris thinks Sam is crazy at times but often looks up to him and respects him. Ray doesn't like Sam or his twenty-first century policing but in the end becomes friendlier with Sam. Sam is also close to the bartender of the Railway Arms, Nelson, who he often looks to for advice. The most unusual relationship is between Sam and Gene. The two have very different policing styles and at times hate each other but they always work it out. Gene also knows that Sam is completely trustworthy. When he was framed for murder in "Series 2: Episode 7", he rang Sam first, knowing that despite their difference Sam would not rest until he was cleared. Tyler's apparent death after seven years on the team - as related in Ashes to Ashes - appears to have affected Gene greatly. Key Life Events *Born in 1969 in Manchester to Vic and Ruth Tyler. *In 1973 at the age of 4, young Sam witnesses the beating of a woman in red by his father. This is followed by Vic walking out on his family. Sam is unaware of what really happened. *Grows up in Manchester without father with the aspirations of becoming a police officer. *Joins the Greater Manchester Police at the age of 19 in 1988. *At some point in the late noughties, Tyler is promoted to DCI by Deputy Chief Constable Glen Fletcher *In 2006, Tyler puts away Tony Crane - a former casino owner guilty of murdering his wife. *Enters a relationship with colleague Maya Roy. *Investigates the murders of a serial killer known as Colin Raimes. Maya is kidnapped by same person. Tyler searches for Maya. (Series 1: Episode 1 (Life on Mars)) *Sent into a deep coma due to a car accident by the A57 motorway. *Wakes up in 1973 Manchester, now a DI working for DCI Gene Hunt. *Investigates a series of murders with the same motive as Colin Raimes. *Prepares to commit suicide until WPC Cartwright persuades him to not. *Investigates a series of armed robberies. (Series 1: Episode 2 (Life on Mars)) *Called to investigate a murder at a textile mill which will become his flat in 2006. (Series 1: Episode 3 (Ashes to Ashes)) *Discovers that his colleagues are taking bribes from a local gangster and attempts to stop it. (Series 1: Episode 4 (Life on Mars)) *Meets the 1973 counterpart of his mother. *Investigates the murder of a Manchester United fan. (Series 1: Episode 5 (Life on Mars)) *Briefly meets his younger self, though younger self unaware of who he is. *Resolves a hostage situation while facing the threat of his life support machine being turned off in 2006. (Series 1: Episode 6 (Life on Mars)) *Independently investigates the death of a drug dealer in police custody. (Series 1: Episode 7 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates the murder of a bookmaker's clerk (Series 1: Episode 8 (Life on Mars)). *Meets his father Vic Tyler again after 33 years. *Alters timeline when he instructs his younger self. This prevents the young Sam Tyler from seeing his father beat up the woman in red. *Discovers what happened to his father and the woman in red. *Meets Tony Crane when at power and attempts to bring him down while being tortured in his coma 33 years in the future by the same person. (Series 2: Episode 1 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates a series of armed robberies with a younger DC Glen Fletcher, his mentor in 2006. (Series 2: Episode 2 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates a series of foretold IRA bombings in Manchester after an anonymous phone call. (Series 2: Episode 3 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates into the murder of a young woman (Series 2: Episode 4 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates the abduction of a young woman and her daughter but progresses into a deeper coma in 2006 due to a hospital overdose. (Series 2: Episode 5 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates into the smuggling and dealing of the heroin which is leading to violence. (Series 2: Episode 6 (Life on Mars)) *Attempts to help Gene Hunt after an apparant murder caused by Hunt. (Series 2: Episode 7 (Life on Mars)) *Investigates into the murder of a man while trying to bring down Hunt under the orders of Frank Morgan. (Series 2: Episode 8 (Life on Mars)) *While posing as train conductors, the team fail to prevent an armed train robbery. *Sam wakes up from his coma in April 2007 in Room 2612 in Hyde Ward of a Manchester hospital. *Commits suicide and wakes up in 1973 again to rescue the team. *Falls in love with Annie Cartwright and enters a relationship with her. *Gets married to Annie Cartwright at some point in the late 1970s *Transfers with DCI Gene Hunt, DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton to the Fenchurch East division of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, 1980. *Dies after supposedly driving into the River Thames pursuing jewellery robbers according to Ray Carling. His body was never found. Category:Life on Mars (UK) characters